Vocabulary Journalism Headline Investigative Journalism Talking Heads Yellow Journalism Obituary Anchor Exclusive Tabloid Critic Sensationalism Blogosphere Coverage Editorial Manipulate Op-ed Spin Mass Media Bias Press Propaganda

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Questions

1. Which kind of news is the best for you? Why?

 Newspaper?

 Radio?

 Television?

 Internet? 2. Should the news give an opinion? 3. Do you think the news influences people too much? 4. Do you think the news is shocking now? 5. What do you think is the most important thing the news should report? 6. Where do you get most of your news? 7. Do you like to keep up with current events? 8. Do you think journalists tell the truth when they write? 9. Do you think journalists add more information to make the story interesting? 10. Do you believe journalists exaggerate what they write about? 11. Do you think the news is too depressing? If so, what is an example? 12. What is the purpose of news companies in society? 13. What do you think about how the news is reported in your country? 14. Should news be more entertaining or informative? 15. How often do you update yourself about current events? 16. What news sources do you think are reliable? What sources are unreliable? 17. Why do people read tabloids?

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www.ChinaPost.com.tw

Taipei toddler slain in broad daylight

Tuesday, March 29, 2016 By Yuan-Ming Chiao, The China Post

TAIPEI, Taiwan -- The nation was left reeling on Monday following the grisly alleged murder of a 4-year- old girl in Taipei by a 33-year-old man — the second of its kind in less than a year.

The alleged random attack occurred in Taipei's Neihu District's Huashan Road Section 1 while the toddler and her mother were strolling near Xihu Elementary School. The suspected killer, a 33-year-old man surnamed Wang, approached the girl whose toy bicycle had become stuck. He then began to attack her with brute force which ended in the child's decapitation.

“I saw the suspect slashing at my daughter with a cleaver. I grabbed at him, but I could not force him away,” the mother of the slain toddler told reporters.

The mother's cries for help were answered by three nearby auto mechanics who managed to subdue Wang.

According to the police, Wang purchased the cleaver at a general wholesale market at around 8 a.m. then took the MRT to Xihu station. Wang was near Neihu Road Section 1 at around 10 a.m. where he happened on the toddler and her mother and started following them, cleaver in hand.

While in custody, his speech has reportedly been mainly incomprehensible, and has included repeated mumblings about “I'm out to find a girl from Sichuan” (a Chinese province). Wang has stated he did not have any past dealings with the victim. Police stated that Wang has a prior drug-use conviction.

Wang, still visibly bloodstained from the alleged attack, was met by an emotionally charged crowd (shouting expletives and “kill him!”) while he was being escorted by police from Xihu police station to the Neihu Precinct station for further questioning. The suspect pleaded for mercy after being beaten by members of the crowd. For safety reasons, police took him back into the Xihu station.

President Ma Ying-jeou expressed “shock and sadness” on hearing about the attack, and asked the Cabinet to launch a full investigation “to ensure justice be served.”

Meanwhile a tearful Kuomintang (KMT) Legislator Wang Yu-min demanded that the law punish those who murder children twelve years old or younger with either the death penalty or life 3

imprisonment. Her proposal was supported by newly elected KMT Chairwoman Hung Hsiu-chu, who said that Monday's murder “could not be forgiven.”

New Power Party Legislator Freddy Lim, a vocal advocate for abolishing the death penalty, used more nuanced language in response to Monday's attack, stating that, “I have always emphasized that the nation's penal system needs reform, particularly in terms of protection of children and work for victims' families. Compared with more progressive nations, Taiwan has a long way to go. At the present time, this issue must be faced earnestly.”

Later, members of the public brought candles, flowers and toys to the site of the killing in memory of the victim.

One man, who placed a bouquet of flowers at the temporary memorial site, stated that the death penalty was needed to prevent such attacks. “I really want to kill him (Wang, the suspect),” he added.

The mother of the victim seemed more skeptical.

“I believe these random acts of violence are committed by people for no reason. And this kind of problem cannot be solved merely by laws or punishment.”

“I hope we can approach the root of the problem: starting from families and education, so that people like this will disappear from our society, so that our children and grandchildren will never be confronted by such people,” she said. Copyright © 1999 – 2016 The China Post.

Back to Story

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EDITORIAL: Irrationality follows violent crimes

Thu, Mar 31, 2016 - Page 8

The grisly murder of a four-year-old girl on Monday shocked the nation. Many, after a period of disbelief, were overwhelmed by unbridled fury, calling for a death sentence for the killer, while politicians and entertainers alike were quick to hitch onto the wagon of heated public opinion, proposing all kinds of amendments to the Criminal Code and the Mental Health Act (精神衛生 法). However, most uncanny has been the unanimous denouncing of people calling for the abolition of the death penalty in Taiwan.

It is understandable, to a certain extent, that people with a naive sense of justice want revenge and a “speedy trial and fast sentencing [of death].” Online, particularly on Facebook, the most used social network in the nation, there is a plethora of images made by netizens calling for the execution of the murderer and all who abuse and kill children and remarks on popular Facebook pages and by celebrities calling death penalty abolitionists names and showering them with curses.

It has almost become a mysterious ritual in Taiwan for people advocating the abolition of the death penalty to receive threats and insults after gruesome killings. The media certainly did not let slip the chance to cash in on the public furor to boost viewership and online click-through ratings with sensational news headlines and content, reigniting and feeding on the anger and asking the Taiwan Alliance to End the Death Penalty to comment.

As the alliance has said on previous occasions, it is a dilemma for them whether to respond when asked to comment.

“Everybody knows how we will answer questions of whether we support the death penalty, but the media continues to repeatedly ask whenever executions or major murders occur,” executive director Lin Hsin-yi (林欣怡) was quoted as saying in a report by online media outlet the Reporter.

When victims’ families do not act in a way that serves the stereotypes that the public expect — such as demanding the death penalty for perpetrators — the media spin the comments into eye- catching headlines or simply turn to “better” candidates who support capital punishment.

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The mother of the girl showed incredible courage, reason and love, saying on the day of her daughter’s murder that random killings are “not a problem solved by simple legislation or how we deal with [the murderer]” and called on the nation to “make [irrational killers] disappear from society through education and the efforts of families.”

Some media outlets were foolish enough to “abbreviate” her remarks into headlines such as: “Mother said she wants killers to disappear.”

Wang Wei-chun (王薇君), a relative of a victim of violent crime turned child-protection activist, who has been a regular source of comments on the death penalty for the media, has recently started to extend a friendly hand to abolitionists in discussions over victims’ rights and stopped providing the blood-thirsty media with simple comments, saying that, although she still supports capital punishment, “rational discussion should take place on ways to stop further tragedies.”

However, local media can still easily turn to other distraught families for “comments” whenever killings occur (which they did in this case), a practice that so far has not been called into question by the public.

If the media can be excused by saying they are only providing what the public loves to consume, then some politicians and lawmakers have tainted their roles with proposals for ad hoc laws and opposing the abolition of the death penalty when capital punishment remains on the books in Taiwan.

The government’s promises to revise the Mental Health Act and reintroduce lax conditions for compulsory hospitalization are equally disturbing, as the law was amended less than 10 years ago to avoid forced hospitalization being inappropriately used, which it had been.

The girl’s murder has allowed the nation to witness a mother’s greatness, but it has also revealed once again how an angry mob responds to terror with irrationality; sadly, with the endorsement of the leaders of public opinion.

Published on Taipei Times : http://www.taipeitimes.com/News/editorials/archives/2016/03/31/2003642819 Copyright © 1999-2016 The Taipei Times. All rights reserved.

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Vocabulary

1. Journalism (n.) : the work of collecting and writing news stories for newspapers, magazines, radio, or television Journalist (n.) = reporter

2. Investigative Journalism (n. phr.) : a form of journalism in which reporters deeply investigate a single topic of interest, such as serious crimes, political corruption, or corporate wrongdoing

3. Yellow Journalism (n. phr.) = the yellow press : a type of journalism that presents little or no legitimate well-researched news and instead uses eye-catching headlines to sell more newspapers.

4. Anchor (n.) = anchorman/anchorwoman : a man who presents a radio or television program, and introduces reports by other people

5. Tabloid (n.) a newspaper with small pages (usually half the size of those in larger papers) with short articles and a lot of pictures and stories about famous people, often thought of as less serious than other newspapers

6. Sensationalism (n.) a way of getting people's interest by using shocking words or by presenting facts and events as worse or more shocking than they really are

7. Coverage (n.) the reporting of news and sports in newspapers and on the radio and television ex. tonight's live coverage of the hockey game ex. media/newspaper/press coverage

8. Manipulate (v.) to control or influence someone or something, often in a dishonest way so that they do not realize it ex. As a politician, he knows how to manipulate public opinion.

9. Spin (v.) [spin-spun-span] to tell a story, either to deceive someone or for entertainment ex. They spun us a story about being in desperate need of money.

10. Bias (n.) a strong feeling in favor of or against one group of people, or one side in an argument, often not based on fair judgment ex. Some institutions still have a strong bias against women.

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11. Headline (n.) the title of a newspaper article printed in large letters, especially at the top of the front page ex. headline news

12. Talking Heads (n.) a presenter or reporter on television who addresses the camera and is viewed in close-up

13. Obituary (n.) an article about someone's life and achievements, printed in a newspaper soon after they have died

14. Exclusive (adj) limited to only one person or group of people ex. an exclusive interview

15. Critic (n.) a person who expresses opinions about the good and bad qualities of books, music, etc. ex. a music/theater/literary, etc. critic

16. Blogosphere (n.) all the personal Web sites that exist on the Internet, viewed as a network of people communicating with each other ex. The story moved from the blogosphere to the mainstream press.

17. Editorial (n.) an important article in a newspaper that expresses the editor's opinion about an item of news or an issue, or a comment on radio or television that expresses the opinion of the station or network ex. All the papers deal with the same subject in their editorials.

18. Op-ed (n.) a newspaper page opposite the editorial page, devoted to personal comment, feature articles, etc.

19. Mass Media (n.) the media

20. Press (n.) newspapers and magazines

21. Propaganda (n.) ideas or statements that may be false or exaggerated and that are used in order to gain support for a political leader, party, etc.

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